UX Case Study
Embedded Files
B2B Brand Onboarding & CRM Platform for Franchise Marketplace
Role
Product Designer
Team
FD Team - PM, Design & Researcher
Timeline
August-December 2022
Project Overview
Franchise Discovery connects investors with franchise brands, but bringing new brands onto the platform was completely manual, using emails and documents.
Collecting brand information, organizing it, and updating the catalog on the website was slow and messy.
The team had no way to track brand data or manage the process, and there was no clear system for brands to onboard themselves.
💡 Solution
Create a web platform where franchise brands can self-onboard by submitting catalog details information, manage their listings, track and purchase leads, and access FD support.
At the same time, design a CRM system for internal teams (Admin and Super Admin) to handle user data, set permissions, review brand catalogs, and generate performance reports.
Constraint & Assumptions
● Franchise brands are familiar with the onboarding process and know which documents they have to provide.
● The internal team follows a manual process using emails and paperwork to collect, approve, and manage brand data.
User Research
⭐️ User Research Insights
1. From Stakeholder interviews (FD Team)
I spoke with key members (sales, operations, and support teams) involved in the process.
● Onboarding relied heavily on back-and-forth communication.
● There was no standard format for collecting brand data.
● Teams struggled to track the status of each brand or follow up efficiently.
● Minor updates required manual intervention, even for repeat tasks.
2. With Informal Brand Conversations (previously onboarded)
Gathered feedback from a few brands that had been onboarded previously.
● They found the process confusing and slow.
● There was no clear checklist or timeline.
● They resend documents multiple times due to formatting issues.
😮💨 Identifying pain points and finding Solutions
1. Onboarding and publishing the Brand Catalogue is complicated and time-consuming.
This can easily be automated through an easy-to-follow online process that is not overwhelming and guides brands step-by-step. This made it faster, less confusing, and reduced the chance of errors.
2. Matching Investors with the appropriate brands that fall within their needs.
The platform has more than 500+ brands offering franchises and distributorships. To connect investors with the right brands, we plan a system that matches investors and brands based on categories, location, and budget — so they connect with the right opportunities faster.
3. No proper pricing plan for the business, and all brands were treated the same, regardless of their size or needs.
To fix a revenue model in place for the business growth, the idea was to create a flexible pricing plan, where brands can choose how many leads they want and what features they need, helping the business grow and serve brands better.
4. Brands were getting a lot of lead inquiries, but most of them weren’t qualified or ready, which wasted time and effort.
100s of investors inquire about getting franchises from brands. I plan to add functionality that reviews and verifies potential leads, so brands only receive high-quality, verified leads.
Solution
User Flow diagram of the current process
No formal process - The team reaches out to brands and manages everything from creating, managing, and publishing a catalogue to matching investors with Brands and closing deals.
Revised User Flow diagram with Brand Onboarding and CRM platform
Brand Onboarding Platform
CRM Platform
Information Architecture - Brand Onboarding Platform
Information Architecture - Customer Support and Staff Management Platform
Design Style and Components
● Primary Color: Used a blue-based primary color, as it's associated with trust, stability, and business credibility.
● Background and Surface Color: To keep it light, support readability and data-heavy screens.
● Black text Color: For strong contrast.
Design - Brand Onboarding Platform
Design - CRM
Brand List - Verified & Non-Verified Brand
Brand CRM
Key Performance Growth 🚀
● 200+ brands successfully onboarded within the first month.
● 60% reduction in catalog creation errors with the guided onboarding flow.
● Help and support issues dropped to just 5%.
● Paid plan subscriptions increased, boosting overall revenue growth and engagement.
● Cross-team conflicts reduced with clearly defined roles in the new CRM.
● Teams can now generate and share reports with no delays.
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